Prideful Pastors

In an age of success and a constant desire to be seen, heard, and recognized, the Christian minister is in danger of becoming filled with the sin of pride. Jonathan Edwards noted that spiritual pride is the main advantage Satan has over Christians. It is the secret flame of pride in the heart that the enemy feeds until it has become a raging and uncontrollable fire.

A pastor who is devoted to his calling is honored by God and acceptable to his people. Those who sit under his teaching of the Word of God and admonishment to grow as Christians admire his dedication to such a cause. A flock will love a pastor for his counsel, care, love, prayers, and total service to their spiritual and physical well being. However, it is often in this admiration that many are ready, as at Lystra, to “do sacrifice unto him.” To avoid this, Charles Bridges says in his book, The Christian Ministry, “What a large share of humility, what unceasing supply of Divine grace, is needed to resist a temptation, that falls in so powerfully with the selfish principle of the natural heart.”

Great care must be taken in the pastor’s heart and life to avoid the terrible temptation of pride. It is easy to be caught up in the emotion, successes, and popularity in ministry; especially when God is pouring fourth His blessing upon your church. But like watchmen upon the city walls, we must watch and pray unceasingly for this enemy approaching over the neighboring hills.

The great puritan Cotton Mather seemed to struggle with this temptation quite often in his early ministry. He says, “Apprehensions of pride – the sin of young ministers – working in my heart, filled me with inexpressible bitterness and confusion before the Lord. I found, that, when I met with enlargement in prayer or preaching, or answered a question readily and suitably, I was apt to applaud myself in my own mind. I affected pre-eminence above what belonged to my age or worth. I therefore endeavored to take a view of my pride – as the very image of the Devil, contrary to the grace and image of Christ – as an offence against God, and grieving of His Spirit – as the most unreasonable folly and madness for one, who had nothing singularly excellent, and who had a nature so corrupt – as infinitely dangerous, and ready to provoke God to deprive me of my capacities and opportunities.” Mather recognized spiritual pride in his heart from the beginning of his ministry. Do you congratulate yourself in your mind when there is large response to your sermons? Do you consider yourself better than others when people call upon you for advice and council? Have you thought God fortunate to have chosen you for a calling that only you can fill?

Mather continued with the resolution to his sin, “I therefore resolved to carry my distempered heart to be cured by Jesus Christ, that all-sufficient Physician – to watch against my pride – to study much the nature and aggravations of it, and the excellence of the contrary grace.” Even the best and most humble of pastors struggle with pride in various areas of their lives. If you have been bitten by the success bug of the new popularity mindset, apply the only vaccine that will heal the wound, namely, the balm of grace.

Filed under: Holiness, Jonathan Edwards, Ministry, Pastors, Sin, Temptation